


Corruption Rewritten

by the_fandom_fangirl



Category: Just Shapes & Beats (Video Game)
Genre: Feels, Fluff and Angst, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Transformation, just shapes and beats - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 15:24:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19212208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_fandom_fangirl/pseuds/the_fandom_fangirl
Summary: Voxel has had a rough start in Paradise, but he's finally gotten to have a better life there. But his new life is under threat by faces he feels like he should remember. It's up to the Legendary Shapes and some other faces to save the Corrupted Boss... Before his past consumes him entirely.





	Corruption Rewritten

**Author's Note:**

> In which changes occur and events are set in motion, not all of them good.

__**_Corruption;_ ** ****_  
_ **_/kəˈrʌpʃ(ə)n/_ ** ****_  
_ **_Noun_ ** **_  
_ ** ****_the process of decay; putrefaction._

 

_Paradise was considered to be the perfect island in the archipelago. You woke up with a smile on your face and knew the only harm could come from your own shortcomings or from those who made rash and angry decisions. A normal place. Then one day, a different Shape appeared. Angry and violent. And he brought ruin in his wake. He threw the Legendary Shapes out of the land they were supposed to protect and Corrupted the whole land. Became a monster and killed one of the guardians permanently. He was thrown from his high tower and down to Earth with a bang. And yet. He survived._

_Some would have killed him properly; for good._

_But not the heroes._

_When they found him licking his wounds and gathering his strength, they sealed him in the very same cave and made the decision to reform him properly._

_Most called it madness but they called it mercy. And little by little, they got to know the one they’d once fought. His name was Voxel, and within three months, he was their friend._

 

A Shape opened his eye. It was early in the morning, and it sounded like someone was drilling downstairs. What was going on? He groaned. Put a pillow over his face and tried to ignore the noises just outside his window and downstairs.

What time was it?? Light made him squint in annoyance as Voxel looked to his alarm clock (not that it ever got used) and the blinking green letters on its screen.

A louder groan came from the tightly pulled pillow.

It was too early for his taste.

Way too early.

Others might disagree, but he was a night owl after all. He stood, bare feet landing on the wooden boards and causing them to squeal gently with the weight. He rubbed his palms into his face to try and wake himself up a bit more. No way he was getting back to sleep now.

Well shit.

He stood up, snarl already in place and moved to his window to throw it open. The birds on the tree outside hardly had a chance to move before he let the pillow in his hand fly. The force of the throw moved wooden fingers straight through the soft fabric and introduced cotton to the light breeze. As the mildly luminescent glow of the birds disappeared over the nearby forest he yelled at them in annoyance.

“GET LOST YA FEATHERY BASTARDS!!”

Almost immidiately he heard the yell from below. “LANGUAGE!”

Cube was up too then. He snorted at their chastising, and moved to grab the thrown item.

 

Hands gripped the windowsill as he summoned a third arm to reach for the pillow. The sound of fabric ripping made him wince. He could stand the hole for a little bit.

Brushing fluff off his covers, he managed to shove the pillow into something sort of resembling a bed. Ish. Voxel’s gaze gazed longingly at the enticing mess of covers and torn pillow. He could take a nap later if nothing came up. With a dull ache at the back of his skull, he pulled on his drawers and yanked out clothes, haphazardly tossing them on.

Some Shapes questioned his clothes choice, given he never changed them. Hey. If it worked, why change it. He had duplicates.

A quick look over himself later, the Corrupt deduced he was close to ready as he’d be for today.

 

The walk downstairs showed some details he’d come to notice over his residence at Cube’s. Square was here, they’d taken off his shoes at the door like they would always do. Cube was up for sure, the scarf was gone from the coat rack in the hall.

None of the other shapes were there.

No telltale scuffs from Tri or the subsequent scolding from Pent. Circle wasn’t hovering around the stairs. Just the three of them then.

He could hear the blender going off (so that was the noise) in the kitchen. He jumped the barrier meant to stop a fall on the staircase and let the jarring sensation of his feet meeting hard floor shake him awake fully.

The sting was brushed off easily enough, although he could already hear the chastising from his housemate. Hey, he never broke the floor.

 

The kitchen was filled with the smell of things cooking. Cube was perched on the stool they used to reach the top of the counters, making what appeared to be an omelette or something. On the other side, Square was borrowing the blender to make something that looked and had around the same consistency of purple mud. The Boss snorted.

“What’s on the menu? Toxic waste?”

Square frowned at him.

“...It’s a smoothie idiot. Apparently you can get the same nutrition or something from it. And I’ve got a long day, so I need to go and do my job.”

“Still can’t take a joke as ever pal.” He challenged. “What’s the deal then? Last week it was… tree-felling or something, right?”

“Construction. We needed the wood, most of it was-”

“Rhetorical question, your jobs are boring. No offence pal.”

Square gave an exasperated sigh, shaking their head with a half-annoyed smirk. It faded as they took to pausing to look out of the window. “...Is that cotton on the windowsi-”

“No it is not.”

He wanted to keep his private mishaps… well... private; thank you very much. At least Square left it alone and simply pulled a quizzical expression.

 

Cold air raised goosebumps on his neck, and he noted the open door to the back. Back door exit it would be then. Voxel stood up, nicking a slice of bread from the breadbin and tossing it into the toaster with mid accuracy.

As he waited for the haphazardly placed bit of toast to pop, he took a swig from a cup of water. The headache was still there. If he knew his headaches, it’d just get worse if he didn’t fix it now.

“Medicine?”

“Ran out.” Shit. “I’m going with Square to help making the houses and stuff… could you get that with the shopping today?”

Voxel wanted nothing more than to leave the house and do something. He’d been cooped up inside for a while. Even if it was for some lame shopping errand. “Sure. Where’s the list?”

“On the fridge. How’s your head?” Cube looked at him, scooping the omlette- presumably- onto a plate.

“Still achy. I’ll be fine.”

Square’s eyes softened at that. Voxel’s headaches were known to be some of the worst around. Even they had to sympathise with that. He slapped some jam on the toast, scarfing it down and setting the dirty butterknife in the sink.

 

“Alright, see you after the riveting construction, if I’m not back by then?” He took a look at the various novelty magnets on the fridge. Down by the Treeangle, left of the Sun and above the Treeangle’s birds… there was the list. Hanging from the star as always. He shoved it in his pocket and swiped the dark blue messenger bag off the back of his chair where he’d left it the night before.

“I’ll bring back a souvenir.” Square chuckled. “How does a brick sound?”

"Like Giving Season coming early. Try to keep things from blowing up while I'm gone!"

"Bye Voxel!" Cube gave him an enthusiastic wave. The flapping of their overly large sleeves following Voxel through the door as he left to head to town.

 

The fresh air was invigorating. He hoped it would be anyway. If anything it was just making his headache worse though… better hurry on the medicine. They lived on a hill, away from the crowds that the village brought. It was a port town after all.

Further afield were the islands that produced their everyday items and recycled what was broken. The factory was closest, so they used this to pass and trade.

Busy, but not a city.

Breathing in the salty air felt like home to him. As he made his way down to the village, Voxel noticed that there was a certain crowd around today. The whole town knew the group. Gossip spread from the three Shapes like wildfire, but most knew not to buy it. Voxel tried to get them to spread nicer rumours at least. One hand waved as he moved down the well-worn path, dirt compressed by so many feet over the years.

"Mornin' guys. Captain back yet?"

The Flower on the left, Vela, sniffed and nudged the others. Her tone was clipped. "No. They're still out."

"Ah, thanks. Was gonna see if they wanted to grab some lunch later."

Locus edited till he appeared out of earshot to mumble to Wicker. "I still don't see why those Legendary Shapes let that thing walk. It's a criminal!"

Voxel resisted the temptation to let loose an arm at her. The tittering laughter behind him at no doubt another joke at his expense was… sufficiently enough to piss him off. But whatever. Anger management was working so far. He bit his lip and squinted. There it was. Hello migraine, wherever you've been since three days ago. He put a hurry into his step as he went to the market. Today seemed like it was gonna hurt rather badly.

 

The market hustle and bustle was in full swing in the midday sun. He could see the apothecary not too far from him. A look at the list showed they didn't need much. Apples, eggs, butter. Milk? He thought back to when they’d last bought it. Oh… yeah. Definitely needed that before the current one grew legs and took over the world or something.

He wandered the market, dipping in and out as he bought goods until his bag was full of items. He could feel some stares on his back. Ignoring it, Voxel moved on. He didn’t blame people for being wary or hostile. He just wished that they’d maybe stop being so goddamn judgmental. He quickly made his way to the last place on his own personal list. The apothecary.

One hand tapped the bell as he waited at the counter. The smell of herbs and spices filled the air, combining into a heady aroma that made his head spin, yet eased the dull ache and pain at the top of his head.

Soon enough the shopkeep appeared, hobbling over on her cane.

“Hello again young Voxel. I just finished the next batch, I assume by that… expression, you’re here for some?”

The Corrupt laughed heartily. “Wow, thanks, glad to know I’m so good-lookin’ old lady. It’s good to see ya Mags.”

“And you. You remember the price?”

“Unless you changed it, yeah.”

 

He slid 35 Beats onto the counter, tiny metal clinks coming from them as they were swept up into a small bag with Mags’ pruned hand. A jar full of green tablets were given, Voxel sliding the old empty one back over the counter to her for reuse. No sooner than he had popped it into his bag, he hissed and put a hand to his head.  The shopkeeper's smile hesitated, turning into a frown.  
“Voxel? Are you-”

“Y-Yeah, I-” He sucked a breath through his teeth as he tried to ignore it. “I-I’m fine. Th- It’s good.”

She gave him a look. “Are you sure? You don’t look so well, even for your headaches.”

“Y-yeah. I’m good everything’s fINE-!!!”

He took a knee as he grasped his skull, stifling a cry as he refused to let a tear be forced out from the sudden invisible drilling that was assaulting his head. Mags rushed as fast as she could around the counter, but Voxel stood, moving already despite the older Shape calling behind him.

 

He couldn’t move any faster than this. It felt like he was being hit in more than just his head, his entire body just… refusing to cooperate. The pain was unlike his usual headaches. And that worried him.

Stares followed the Corrupt shape as he limped onwards.

The gossipers said not a word as he went by- whether they were afraid or shocked to see him look in so much pain, they didn’t know.

Before Voxel knew it he was home. The searing heat in his head let up enough for him to begin breathing regularly. He fumbled with shaking hands to grab the jar and swallow a few pills dry. He gripped the counter and tried to breathe. His panic temporarily subsided as well as the thrumming in his bones. He wiped his face. He’d need to see a doctor or something. That wasn’t normal for him.

The hollow sound of boots scraping and stomping into the upstairs bathroom echoed in the house. No-one answered his calls. He was alone. Fine by him. He could handle this without help dammit.

The tap’s cold water felt like a soothing balm against the heat on his head. Was… was that steam coming off him? He never got sick. Not a fever. He hadn’t gotten sunburned. What was wrong with him??

 

Voxel tried to calm himself. This was fine, it was okay. He- there wasn’t anything wrong, it was just a headache. He felt something stir in his gut. He paled. He was certainly glad no-one was here to see him bent over the toilet like a drunk guy after a party.

The bile burned his mouth and nothing within the mess looked like toast. _Was… was that…_ no- no his blood didn’t look that pale. The burning receded as he spat it all out and washed his mouth. The entirety of Voxel’s body shook as he sat on the floor like a limp doll.

Screw not needing assistance anymore. He needed help. Regret filled his mind at leaving Mags rather than letting the seasoned doctor help him. Too late now. He really didn’t want to move from his current spot.

 

Hands balled at his sides. He was done sitting alone, he needed to find the others. As he rose to his feet, the strain returned threefold, now sitting like hot coals on his back and god- the movement brought tears to his eyes. He held tight to that one single thought, that one tiny objective with every stagger and sway as he made his way towards the door.

He tried his best to keep his nerve. But it was getting harder to walk with the pain in his head bringing him dangerously close to falling down the stairs.

He heard something snap, cracking and thought for a moment past the haze that he’d broken the banister. But a look at his hand proved otherwise. It was on the floor. And there was pink blood dripping off his head. He whipped one hand up to his head, finding something that made his heart’s pounding rhythm skip a beat.

There was a second pair of horns.

The reaction was instant. He started to move faster, though it was hardly any help with the hindrance of the fire in his veins. His arms let out cracking noises as they seemed to warp like clay, moulded by the hands of some sinister person. Hard chitinous armour.

The shape of it spurred him on further. This was wrong, _he hadn’t done anything, what the fuck was happening-_

 

He felt the breeze on his face, blessedly cool but he was still at the mercy of change. He heard his shirt rip, dreading to look he simply kept his head down and tried to move further.

Where was he going? His mind was static. He couldn’t breathe- He wasn’t- Needed to- Ragged gasps and sickening snaps filled the air. He couldn’t even scream, the agony coursing through him was robbing him of even that. He threw his head down, the muzzle stretching out of his face opening wide in a soundless screech.

He choked on his breath as a hot line burned on his back. A tail- he had a tail and it was swinging around behind him- His stomach turned and he retched with nothing coming out. The ground seemed to buckle under his gaze as he began to grow, his front legs (no longer arms by now) strengthening and his thumb sliding back to the heel of his palm.

His legs had grown and shrunk in places, joints changing and feet stretching to accommodate his four legged stance.

He opened his eye- _no, eyes, it was eyes-_ he could see someone blurrily running up to him from the trees. Cold hands hauled him up on both sides, his legs half-dragging. He could hear ringing. Voxel fell to all fours again with a hoarse snarl, claws digging into the earth.

The same armoured plating wrenched out of his underside, covered his back legs and shredded his clothing. He could see the things moving back, blue blurry spots among the green. His size rapidly increased (his shirt was long gone by now) as wing casings began to form on his back. As identical mandibles ripped through the sides of his jaw, as similar ones pushed through the plating on his tail, he let out a roar that ripped through the forest.

The last thing Voxel saw was the face of one of his only friends twisted in horror before the static growing in his mind took over his instincts.

 

Cube was speechless. This wasn’t Voxel, this was all just a bad dream, they would wake up soon and hear him snoring across the hall-

They nearly screamed when Square grabbed them on the shoulder and began to run from the beast now chasing after them. Dully, Cube noticed the large pink patch outside their house. What happened?! They heard Square call their name.  
“Wh-what-”   
“GET THE OTHERS!! I’ll hold him here but I need them with me now!” They shoved the smaller Shape on, and their legs took over without thinking.

The thought of their friend fighting what used to be… it couldn’t happen. They let their pounding feet take them down the path, finding the others where they’d been following way behind. Any conversation stopped as they saw Cube’s face. Tri took a knee next to them.

“Woah, woah, hey, calm down! What’s-”

“V-Voxel, he was- He was- He changed, I-I don’t know what happened but S-Square-!!”

 

They were on the move near instantly. Cube was breathless.

Orange eyes met theirs as Circle tugged on their hand to lead them behind the three Shapes. As they neared the house, Cube could hear a roar that sounded almost akin to a scream. They ran just that little bit faster.

The scene they came back to was clearly in worse shape than when they started. Voxel was bleeding. A lot. Square was scraped up badly too. Broken trees and… _oh Treeangle those were scorch marks-_ The Legendary Shapes moved past them and they could only watch as they moved faster than they ever could to contain the creature Voxel had become.

It threw itself against the sides of the domed barrier, screeching and hissing in anger. Cube rushed to Square’s side, glad that they were more or less alright.

“S-Square, a-are-?!”

“M’fine.” A hiss as they took a knee. “Hit me with the tail. You’ll find a me-shaped crater over there…”

The smaller shape flinched as the creature threw itself against the barrier again.

“...Is he- W-Will Voxel be alright?”

Square took a moment to answer, and Cube felt despair at their expression when they looked up once again.

_“I… I don’t know.”_


End file.
